Pleasure-railway



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. BORMANN. PLEASURE RAILWAY.

No. 450,658. Patented Apr. 21, 1891.

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. PLEASURE RAILWAY. No. 450,658. Patented Apr. 21, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERMANN BORMANN, QF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PLEASU RE-RAI LWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 450,658, dated April21, 1891.

Application filed March 4, 1890. Serial No. 342,570. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, IIERMANN BORMANN, a subject of the Emperor ofGermany, but now residing at the city of Philadelphia, in the county ofPhiladelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Pleasure-Railways, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in pleasure-railways composed ofspiral courses arranged one within the other and of such type as topermit of cars or coaches being propelled over one of the spiral coursesand to then descend over the other of said courses by gravity orotherwise to the starting-point for another trip.

The principal objects of my invention are, first, to afford the patronsof such a railway the excitement of a merry-go-round and theexhilaration of a sliding hill; second, to reduce the amount of spaceoccupied by such railways and to afford a longer and more varied ridefrom the starting-point to the terminal pointthan has heretofore beenobtained in pleasure-railways; third, to provide simple and durablemechanism for elevating cars or coaches over one of the ascendingspirals of the course without shock or jar, and so that the cars orcoaches may then be permitted to descend over the other spiral of thecourse, by gravity or otherwise, to the point of beginning for anothertrip, and, fourth, to provide means for preventing the cars or coachesfrom leaving the tracks.

The nature and characteristic features of my invention will be morefully understood from the following descriptiomtaken in con nection withthe accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, and in which- Figure 1is a view, partly in elevation and partly in vertical section, of arailway-course embodying the essential features of the invention. Fig. 2is a top or plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of anendless cable traveling over guide rollers and the main drum actuated byan engine, as shown in Fig. 2, and the said view serving to illustratethe manner of elevating a car or coach over one of the spiral courses ofthe railway. Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of one of the cars orcoaches having portions cut away to expose to view preferred mechanismfor antomatically gripping the cable; and Fig. 5 is an end view of thecar or coach, showing the automatic mechanism for gripping the same tothe endless cable of the course.

Referring to the drawings, A is the inner spiral course, and B the outerspiral course. These spirals, composed of trestle-work, are preferablyarranged in the manner shown in Fig. 1. The spiral courses, as shown inthe drawings, are especially adapted for buildings or other somewhatsimilar places where the space available for such structures iscomparatively limited; but of course the structure may be verymaterially enlarged or extended both vertically and longitudinally, asspace will permit.

It may be remarked that in actual operation the sensation ofascendingone spiral and descending another spiral is very popular.Moreover, the courses winding around and up and down present a pleasingand amusing spectacle to those watching the sport, and the excitementmay be still more enhanced by providing undulations in the courses; butI prefer to make the ascending and descending curved or spiral coursescomparativelysmoot-h and gradual throughout.

G and C are the rails secured to the platforms C6 and a of the spiralcourses, winding one within the other in a vertical direction, and theserails are preferably formed L- shaped, as shown in Fig. 5. In order toprevent the cars and coaches from jumping the tracks in their passage bygravity from the summit of the one course over the other to the point ofbeginning, the cars or coaches are elevated by cable, and may then bepermitted to descend in connection with the cable again to the terminalpoint, if preferred; or the course such as described is also adapted topermit of the cars or coaches in train extending over the entirecoursethat is, over the inner and outerspirals-and may be operated inany well-understood manner. I however prefer that the cars shall beelevated singly over the course, as described, by means of a cablepassing over a series of pulleys cl, as shown in Fig. 3, and the carsand coaches then released therefrom and permitted to descend by gravityto the starting-point for another trip.

In Fig. 2 is shown a prime mover or engine G and friction-drums h and hfor propelling the cable g along over the guide-rolls d and d in thedirection of the arrows. The cable 9 is wound several times around thedrums h and h to prevent the same slipping thereon. These drums havemotion imparted to them by means of a train of gear I, which is actuatedby the prime mover G.

The cars or coaches for use on such a railway may be of any preferredconstruction, provided with suitable gripping mechanism of a characteradapted to automatically engage with and be disengaged from the cable,and causedto travel continuously over and around one of the spiralcourses by means of the prime mover G, as hereinabove described; butpreference is given to the construction of the cars or coaches asillustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, in which 'i is a platform mounted onwheels 1." and having seats 2' for the reception of passengers securedto the upper side thereof. 70 are lugs bolted or otherwise secured tothe under side of the car or coach. k is a plate pivotally connectedwith the lugs 70. This plate is provided with a lug k and a stationaryjaw 7.0 for contacting with the cable. Z is a bar pivotally'secured tothe lug k and provided with a jaw Z, which, with the jaw 70 is adaptedto grip the cable and the lever Z, having a roller Z S is a springinterposed between the bar Z and the v plate 70, in order to permit ofthe cable being normally gripped between the jaws 70 and Z. mis acam-shaped or rectangular bar provided with a seat m, secured to theplatform of the course between the rails O and O and adapted to not onlyengage with the roller Z but to depress the bar Z, and thereby draw thejaws k and Z apart, so as to release the cable. The bar m may be locatedat any point in the course, but preferably at the summit thereof, inorder to automatically release the cars and permit them to descend bygravity to the point of beginning foranother trip.

It will be obvious that instead of using a cable arranged in the mannerillustrated in Figs, 2 and 3 a motor-car may be employed for drawing orelevating the passenger cars or coaches to the summit of one of thecourses and the same then be permitted to descend by gravity to thestarting-point for another tri I? do not wish to be understood asclaiming, broadly, as of my invention the combining of two spiralsarranged one within the other or of a downgrade spiral combined with anupgrade spiral arranged concentrically to each other to constitute acomplete pleasure-railway structure in which the cars or coaches areelevated by a cable to the summit of one spiral and are then allowed todescend by gravity over the other spiral to the point of beginning foranother trip; but,

Having thus described the nature and objects of my invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A pleasure-railway consisting of two spiral courses arranged onewithin the other and having platforms provided with L- shaped rails, incombination with cars or coaches having wheels adapted to said rails,and means for propelling said cars or coaches, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a pleasure-railway, the combination of a positively-driven cable,a car or coach having a plate pivotally secured thereto and providedwith a stationary jaw, a bar pivotally connected with said plate andhaving a jaw, and a spring interposed between said plate and bar,substantially as and for th purposes set forth.

3. In a pleasure-railway, the combination of a positively-driven cable,a car or coach having a plate pivotally connected therewith,

a stationary jaw, a bar connected with said plate and provided with ajaw, a spring interposed between said plate and bar, and a stationaryrod adapted to engage said bar, substantially as and for the purposesset forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my signature in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

HERMANN BORMANN.

